Sad that nothing more will go into FOGE or FOG2

[Solaristics]

I quite regularly test betas through Steam so I'd be interested in doing this. I've actually been holding off buying the dlc waiting to seeing what on-going support the game was getting.

Honestly, I think FOGE is a GEM, and a very different ancient experience at a very fair price. There are some UI areas which could use some work like naval embarkation/debarkation. But you can live with it.

My only issue was that the there are 2 fatal technical bugs (I mean game ending; not balance) which are known and fixed, but patch not released.

Personally, I've lost interest in buying games that don't have long post-release development support and I'm happy to pay for multiple dlcs to fund this. All games can be improved and all games can be expanded. Time and feedback from an evolving player base, given the resources to support continued development, can turn good games into great ones. I want to spend my limited gaming time playing great games - deep, subtle, matured over time. Well, you know, that's just like my opinion, man.

[vaalen]

Yes, FOG 2 is a magnificent game, in so many ways. I have played it so many times, and I still find it fresh and exciting, as well as realistic in its feel.

Now, on Thursday, FOG2 Medieval will be released. I can hardly wait.

I feel like a child waiting for Christmas!

[MarkShot]

Honestly, I think FOGE is a GEM, and a very different ancient experience at a very fair price. There are some UI areas which could use some work like naval embarkation/debarkation. But you can live with it.

My only issue was that the there are 2 fatal technical bugs (I mean game ending; not balance) which are known and fixed, but patch not released.

Personally, I've lost interest in buying games that don't have long post-release development support and I'm happy to pay for multiple dlcs to fund this. All games can be improved and all games can be expanded. Time and feedback from an evolving player base, given the resources to support continued development, can turn good games into great ones. I want to spend my limited gaming time playing great games - deep, subtle, matured over time. Well, you know, that's just like my opinion, man.

I hear where you are coming from. I am older and not in good health. I want to play more than invest on huge learning curves. So, incremental improvements are far more welcome that totally new titles.

I likes PDS' approach. What I don't like is that they vastly over represent the amount of coding effort needed to release their DLC; which is used to justify their prices. Being a software engineer, I can make a solid case for this that would hold up in the US legal system (my other hobby in retirement is classes like law, med, history). A quick EU4 example; PDS codes from scratch an army templater and navy templater from scratch. But they are not really two efforts at all. Why? Because the Window titles of the Navy templater still say "army". This is a clear sign of "cut and paste" programing which takes 10 minutes, and wasn't even carefully reviewed.

Another EU4 example, PDS gives us naval missions such as PATROL and EXPLORE. We are led to believe that this is code from scratch for us. But doesn't EU4 need such missions for the AI to function in the game? All PDS has really done is added a UI screen onto naval missions so that players may use the same code the AI does. Putting an interface screen to front end an existing module is a amount huge work we are led to believe. But it is not. It is just a few hours to 1/2 day.

PDS excels at marketing and community management. This is really where the revenues come from "slight of hand". But I have reached the point in life where time is more valuable than money to me. So, I spend, but that doesn't mean I don't see what they are doing. And is still object to this misleading business practices.

[Solaristics]

Honestly, I think FOGE is a GEM, and a very different ancient experience at a very fair price. There are some UI areas which could use some work like naval embarkation/debarkation. But you can live with it.

My only issue was that the there are 2 fatal technical bugs (I mean game ending; not balance) which are known and fixed, but patch not released.

Personally, I've lost interest in buying games that don't have long post-release development support and I'm happy to pay for multiple dlcs to fund this. All games can be improved and all games can be expanded. Time and feedback from an evolving player base, given the resources to support continued development, can turn good games into great ones. I want to spend my limited gaming time playing great games - deep, subtle, matured over time. Well, you know, that's just like my opinion, man.

I hear where you are coming from. I am older and not in good health. I want to play more than invest on huge learning curves. So, incremental improvements are far more welcome that totally new titles.

I likes PDS' approach. What I don't like is that they vastly over represent the amount of coding effort needed to release their DLC; which is used to justify their prices.

...

PDS excels at marketing and community management. This is really where the revenues come from "slight of hand". But I have reached the point in life where time is more valuable than money to me. So, I spend, but that doesn't mean I don't see what they are doing. And is still object to this misleading business practices.

I think we are in general agreement here although I don't buy PDS games until they have matured a bit (well, actually, a lot), as I've been burnt a few times, so I usually get the earlier dlc discounted at what seems a fairer price point.

[vaalen]

I also like to see a game continue to evolve and develop, whether to patches or DLC, preferably both.

Both Pocus and Richard have a added a lot of new content to their respective games, often through patches that are free.

I appreciate that very much, and am looking forward to DLC and new content for both of the new games. The game Pocus is working on is still a mystery, and I hope we will see an announcement soon.

[Solaristics]

Honestly, I think FOGE is a GEM

One thing I didn't add in my response to you is that I LOVE the culture/decadence/progress/legacy mechanic. It is a real and rare innovation in grand strategy games and a lot of my disappointment stems from not having a game containing such a fresh mechanic continue on for the long term. Amongst other things, it makes playing tall both historically realistic and viable gameplay and leaves crude "cultural victories" for dead. I hope Pocus uses it and develops it in other games and/or everyone "borrows" it!

[Bullseye500]

I really like Field of Glory Empires and the historical settings is among one of my favorite eras but I would cheerfully welcome a Medieval setting and just go back and revisit FoGE when I felt the urge.

[Pocus]

We have started working on a patch for FOGE...

[MarkShot]

Hallelujah!

Last night, I looked at paid and unpaid reviews for Imperator: Rome; and Empires still compares favorably!

[vaalen]

Hallelujah!

Last night, I looked at paid and unpaid reviews for Imperator: Rome; and Empires still compares favorably!

Glad to hear it. Empires is so superior as a game to IR that there is no comparison. And Empires gives a great historical feel, whereas IR just gives the usual Paradox feel, even after massive patching.

Pocus, by himself, has greatly outdone the large Paradox staff, with all their resources.

I confess, it is hard for me to wait for the next game in the Empires series.